Comparison of Subjective Evaluation of Different Forms of Driving Agents by Elderly People

Abstract

This study examined subjective assessments to clarify how agents for assistance with driving are accepted. The assessors were of various ages, including some who were elderly people. Three kinds of agents were assessed: voice, virtual and robot agents. The results showed that both the elderly people and people in other age groups positively assessed robot agents on the item ‘Familiarity’. The results also indicated that robot agents received lower assessments on the item ‘Obstruction’ than did voice or virtual agents. From these findings, robot agents are considered to be well accepted and tend not to cause hindrances. Moreover, the results changed after repeated use of agents, suggesting that continued use has an impact. Therefore, future directions for research include the following: differences in reception depending on differences in the types of robot agents, changes in assessments when agents are used over a long period of time, and changes in behaviors after driving with the assistance of agents.